Ed Force One heading to South Africa

One of the world’s oldest and most popular metal bands, Iron Maiden, is heading to South Africa for a number of concerts, as part of their 2016 The Book Of Souls world tour. The eponymous tour is in support of the band’s 16th studio album.

Iron Maiden was conceived by Steve Harris, bassist for the band, on Christmas day in 1975. The band has since had numerous member changes (enough to warrant a Wikipedia page focused solely on this), but managed to garner a loyal fanbase worldwide.

The plane used for flying to concert destinations across the globe, a Boeing 747-400 named Ed Force One (after their mascot), is flown by none other than lead-singer for Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson, who’s a qualified pilot.